A FAST BREAK FOR FUN Itinerary makes enjoying Columbus a slam dunk for basketball visitors
For everyone who flocked to Columbus this weekend with basketball on their minds, Saturday represents a brief respite from watching college students leap, dive and sprint across the hardwood at Nationwide Arena during the first and second rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. With more than 24 hours of freedom, what's an eager explorer to do?
Never fear, The Dispatch is here with an itinerary that fills 15 consecutive hours with fun, food and more. So fling wide the hotel door and sprint toward an Uber. Not a (painstakingly curated) hour to lose!
Fuel up with a 4-cylinder breakfast at one of the city’s old-school diners. For those near Downtown, the German Village Coffee Shop (193 Thurman Ave.; 614-4438900, www.gvcoffeeshop. com) is a no-nonsense operation with heavy omelettes and a special pancake of the month. Seating is limited, but your patience will be rewarded. Closer to Ohio State University's campus, the newer operation Hangover Easy (1646 Neil Ave.; 614-586-0070, www. hangovereasycolumbus. com) serves up cheeky reinvented classics.
If sleeping in is more your speed, rolling out of bed is perfectly acceptable at coffee shops such as Stauf’s (multiple locations; 614487-6050, www.staufs. com), Mission Coffee Co. (11 Price Ave.; 614-300-0648, www.missioncoffeeco. com), Brioso Coffee (14 E. Gay St. and 329 E. Long St.; 614-228-8366, www. briosocoffee.com) and the Roosevelt Coffeehouse (300 E. Long St.; 614-670-5228, www.rooseveltcoffee.org), a nonprofit supporting clean water, hunger-fighting and anti-human-trafficking charities. Pick up a Columbus Coffee Trail booklet along the way; get four stamps, and you earn a free T-shirt at any Experience Columbus location.